Shipping companies and owners of bulk carriers can now use a new database developed by Germanischer Lloyd to obtain comprehensive information about all requirements relating to the structural and equipment aspects in relation to the cargoes to be conveyed in each case. The new cargo compliance tool "PROTOS" (Provisions for Transportation of Solid Bulk Cargoes) was presented at the first Bulker Forum, which was attended by over 40 shipowners and business partners. PROTOS references all the statutory structural and equipment-related requirements applying to a bulk carrier for the envisaged cargo. In view of the approx. 60 different types of solid bulk cargoes, the requirements for ventilation and explosion-protection, for example, may differ considerably.